Chuck Liddell Interview

AM Fighter Interview: Chuck Liddell

Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell is one of a handful of fighters who helped transform the UFC into the multibillion-dollar organization it is today. Being featured on a UFC main event or co-main event card 14 times and being part of some of the most lucrative cards in the UFC has made Chuck Liddell a clear fan favorite. Liddell’s exciting and memorable fights against Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz, along with his 21 wins and 13 knockouts, have solidified his reputation as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. With a devastating overhand right punch, Liddell has knockout power that keeps his opponents at bay and takedown defenses that make his opponents think twice about charging him.

At UFC 97: Redemption on April 18, 2009, Chuck Liddell will continue his quest to regain the UFC Light Heavyweight championship at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, in front of 21,000 screaming fans as he takes on former PRIDE Grand Prix Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He took a few minutes out of his intense training regimen to talk with AM.

The UFC

Dana White told the Canadian Press that if you don't put on an "incredibly impressive" performance against Mauricio Rua, he wouldn't want you to fight anymore. Do you see this as an ultimatum?

I don’t see it as an ultimatum; I mean, I plan on going out there and performing the way I do, and I plan on knocking Rua out.

Shogun doesn't seem like the same fighter he was during his days in PRIDE. Is he still a threat?

I’m assuming he’s going to be training hard, fixing the problems he had with his conditioning and be back in good shape for when he faces me.

Many of PRIDE's former stars, like Shogun, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, to name a few, have struggled in other fight leagues lately. Is there a PRIDE curse? How would you explain it?

I wouldn’t say they are cursed; it all depends on who they are being matched up against. They were being matched up against good fighters so it wasn’t going to be easy for them to get wins. If you beat Mauricio Rua, do you think you deserve an immediate title shot?

I’ll take one if I’m offered one, I mean I would like one, but I would take one more fight before demanding a title shot. I think I should get a title shot, but I think depending on how well I perform makes it a possibility.

Is there anyone in the UFC that you would like to fight?

There are a lot of tough guys in the UFC right now, so I wouldn’t mind fighting any of them.

Who do you think is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC?

A lot of guys are really good. It’s a tough argument: there a lot of guys that can be considered pound-for-pound, including [in] my weight class. I mean, I think all the guys that they’re talking about as being top pound-for-pound fighters are deserving of the status.

Training regimen

Which fighting styles do you focus on the most when training for an upcoming fight, and why?

Depends. I mean, I work on my wrestling quite a bit, because I think it’s one of the hardest conditionings, and my striking of course, it’s my bread and butter. Those are pretty much the things I work on the most.

We heard that you spent some time training with American Top Team after your last fight. Specifically, what did you work on there?

I worked a lot with Howard Davis Jr. from American Top Team; he was down at my camp. John Hackleman brought him in to help me with my boxing and striking. He was down here because I needed a lot of help and he was the man to do it and I liked a lot of the stuff he was doing, he did a good job and it fit well.

When training for an upcoming fight, what do you do for strength conditioning?

We do just about everything. I do some weights, swimming, rowing, hammer tires, sprints, sand workouts, pushing heavy wheel barrels, flipping 300-pound tires.

What do you do to train for endurance and cardio?

We do a lot of back and forth workouts, like a few minutes of rowing, then jump into boxing and wrestling right after, then back to hard rowing, sprints, then back to wrestling and then back to rowing and back to wrestling, it’s a constant cycle that keeps me working and really helps with my cardio and endurance.

How many hours do you normally train in a day?

When I’m training for a fight I work out two or three times a day for five days a week.

How long a break would you take between fights before getting back to your training?

I try to take two weeks off after a fight and then get back to working out four or five times a week. I try to stay in shape and am always consistently working out. I can always get back into to my training without many problems, as long as I don’t take too much of a break after a fight.

Do you have any tips for our readers on how to maximize training for your body?

I think some of the most important exercises are all the core exercises that you can do to maximize training in certain areas of your body. What kind of diet are you on when training for a fight?

I do a 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fats diet. I make sure not to pass 4,200 calories a day, so that I maintain my weight and do not go over. What are your plans for the future? Do you think about life after MMA, do you have a plan laid out for if and when you do stop fighting? Is there anything in particular you would like to pursue outside of MMA?

I don’t really have a set plan, but I do plan on being involved in MMA. I have guys that train hard with me and that I help with fights. I’d like to do some other stuff, like movies or TV. We’ll see what happens. As long as I don’t do anything really stupid with my money, then I shouldn’t have to be working. I mean, I will be working because I want to, but I’ll always want to be involved with MMA.